NEWS

President's Report

14 April 2014Jake Gunther

"Australian President, Jake Gunther"

So the summer has passed and daylight saving is over in the southern States, but guess what, the show goes on and here we all go again setting up for the next regatta, race or refit! It's not a lament; it is more of a refection on what was another good year for our Class. In a time when a lot of conversations are about the change that is occurring in all sports, we should be happy that Etchells sailing is alive and well across the globe. We have new crews appearing and fleets growing in many locations. I tip my hat to all the great work that has been done by so many passionate individuals to make this happen. We are all in your dept.

I don't intend to make this report data laden. We all know the stories, the results, the photos, the Facebook posts, the Instagram pics and the Twitter tweets. This is due to our continued commitment to media in all forms. We are really setting new standards with our relentless promotion of the Class, via any medium available. Etchells really have relevance and significance in the news arena, as so many of the key players in our sport are putting their reputations on the line every time they compete. A lot of our members feature in many classes, but it is Etchells that represents the true litmus test of their talent, and I often wonder if many recognise just how serious a point this is for some.

Early in my Etchells career, I had the honour of sailing with a few of the superstars in our class, and I was mesmerised by the attention to detail and the hyper-intelligence that was applied to the process. I clearly remember how seriously the game was being played, and it left a solid and inspiring impression. The upshot of this is simply that to these sailors, winning in Etchells counted for so much more than most of the other sailing that they were doing. This is why our events make such good press.

It is very inspiring to see so many Australians doing amazing things on an international level. The continuing ISAF World Cup series is progressing and we are featuring in almost every discipline. The newly forming AC teams are inundated with Australians, which is a real credit to those that are involved and to those that have passed on the deep knowledge and enthusiasm that is required to climb these sailing mountains. These athletes are regular faces in our fleets. We are all proud of what we as Australians are achieving, and are even prouder knowing that many of these guys and girls are also members of our Class.

This brings me to the next Worlds in Newport this June. The National fleet will be very strongly represented in what will be an amazing event, which will be extremely hard fought. Good luck to all those making the journey. It's not long now, so train hard, get fit, get organised and give it your best shot!

There is absolutely no excuse for you not to be making the trip to Mooloolaba if you are not heading over to the USA. This regatta is so much a part of the calendar. If you haven't been before, you need to get there! So far, a previous champion has never won this event again, so statistically speaking, all you newcomers will have a massive advantage!!!

Once again my sincere thanks go to all who 'put in' for the good of our class. There are so many, and range from the core administrators, to all the hundreds of souls who help out with events, as well as the professionals who always perform above our expectations. We all thank you.